Nigeria bans Chelsea's Mikel from national teams

LAGOS, June 21 (Reuters) Nigeria has suspended John Obi Mikel from international matches after the Chelsea midfielder missed their African Nations Cup qualifier in Uganda earlier this month, the Nigerian FA said today.

The 20-year-old, who was left out of the Nigeria squad for the match against Niger last week, also failed to report to camp for an Under-23 Olympics qualifier against Ghana, further provoking the Nigerian authorities.

''The senior team coach says he does not need Mikel now and the Under-23 team coach has also said he does not need him,'' NFA spokesman Demola Olajire said.

''How long he stays out of both teams would depend on the coaches. His exclusion has to do with acts of indiscipline on his part,'' Olajire said.

Mikel stayed away from the game against Uganda in Kampala on June 3, citing injury, an excuse which the NFA rejected.

The FA said the player should be examined by Nigerian team doctors to ascertain the veracity of his injury.

It is not the first time the youngster has been caught up in controversy in his relatively short career.

Just over two years ago Manchester United claimed to have signed him from Lyn Oslo in Norway, but after a protracted affair which eventually involved world soccer's governing body FIFA, he finally joined Chelsea last year.

REUTERS DS ND2256